1. Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:

2. Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

3. His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

4. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

5. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;

6. and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;

7. and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.

8. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

9. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

10. Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall,

11. and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

12. So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have.

13. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body,

14. because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.

15. And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.

16. We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

17. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." [1]

18. We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

19. And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

20. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation.

21. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.